Altruism
Name: Altruism Physical Age: 19 True Age: 19 Gender: Male Faction: Virtue Element: Mind 'Power' So you're sitting around and you think you hear something. For some reason it doesn't really bother you. That's odd. Usually you'd look around, maybe tense up, prepare to be attacked, but you don't really think it's that big a deal. You probably just imagined it anyway. The problem is that you didn't imagine it, and it may very well be a big deal. Altruism messes around with perception. He induces the mind to dismiss some sensations, and lowers suspicion, as illustrated above. There are limits of course. If he's standing right in front of you, he can't convince you that he isn't really there. If you see him out of the corner of your eye though... Similarly, if he's attacking you, he can't take away enough suspicion to make you think he just wants to offer you cookies. 'Weapon' Altruism carries two curved short knives, not unlike cutlasses in miniature. The right is longer than the left. He generally tucks them into a sash at his waist. 'Summon' Tobor is a white dove capable of carrying messages. She doesn't interact much with anyone other than Altruism because she does not like other people. She is devoted to Altruism, so she doesn't need or want anyone else. 'History' While living, Altruism was called Vayn. Vayn was born and lived his entire life in Indafell . When Vayn was eleven years old, his neighbourhood suffered from a series of small fires set to eradicate plague. When his parents fell ill, his house was next. Though he was uninfected, he was to have been burned as well for fear of him carrying the plague. With a hasty escape and a devastating farewell to his parents forever, Vayn had nothing to do but beg for the necessities of life in an unsympathetic environment. One day, Vayn witnessed a rich merchant family out on the town and sidled up to beg. He targeted the family's small child to beg from as sometimes children had a better chance of getting their parents to give money. The boy couldn't convince his parents, but he did manage to give Vayn some of his uneaten lunch purchased from a nearby street vendor. The next day, the boy reappeared without his parents and sought Vayn out. He had brought some food for Vayn that had been stolen from his house. He announced that Vayn would be his project. To the boy, seeing whether he could keep Vayn alive was an experiment. To Vayn it was a gift from the gods. He did not quite understand the boy's motives, but he was being fed every day and came to almost worship the boy. Which is why, when the boy's father found him and told him that he could be of service to the boy, Vayn leapt at the chance. The man took him in and housed him in an empty house in a poor area. There, he had people train Vayn in how to sneak and remain unnoticed. Vayn did not understand how this was helping the boy, or why he was not allowed to see him, but he went along with it. Over the next few years, as Vayn's proficiency grew, the man began having Vayn stage break-ins and steal things from his rivals. Vayn felt wrong about stealing, but he knew that he would be discarded if he refused, and he was determined to help the boy, even if he didn't know how this was helping him in any way. Finally, at the age of nineteen, the man told Vayn that he only had one big break-in to do and he would be freed. Excited, Vayn carried through with the crime. Upon arriving back at the man's house, he was brought to the basement, where he surrendered what he had stolen. The man was strange that night, and oddly excited. As Vayn waited to be told that he was free, the man seemed to be ignoring him. Eventually he asked. The man turned, pulling out a knife that he hid behind his back so Vayn couldn't see. The man explained to him that unfortunately, Vayn knew a little too much about some suspicious crimes and that information could not get out. As panic began to enter Vayn, the man cut his throat with the hidden knife. Vayn died and became Altruism, as the property that drove him to try to serve others however he could coloured his entire life - and death. 'Appearance' Altruism is of average height at 5'10''. His hair is white-blonde and just longer than shoulder-length. He likes to wear it in braids with colourful beads. His clothing is generally non-descript and unrestrictive, but it always has many pockets and he ties a sash at his waist to hold his knives. He is very pale and thin due to malnutrition in childhood. His eyes are a very bright green. 'Behaviour' During life, Vayn had to learn not to dwell what he could not change, and after death, Altruism is no different. While with other people he enjoys being cheerful and friendly, which he never had much experience with in life, having spent most of his time alone. Because of this, he is very comfortable being alone, and can also be very awkward in social situations. More than anything, he wants to be able to help people. He is utterly selfless when it comes to his friends. 'Other''' The beads he wears in his hair are designed to click together. They were part of his training to move without them making noise, an extremely difficult task, but one that he has become practiced at. Altruism was so shocked upon his death that his spirit was damaged. Though his mind seems to be intact, he has forgotten what he looked like, so his flawed self-image became the foundation of his body after death. For instance, in life he was shorter, his hair was brown and he was much less pale. Because he favours stealth and his summon can carry messages he makes a useful scout or spy. Category:Characters Category:Virtues Category:Mind